Certification and Ethics in the GIS Profession

William E. Huxhold

Wisconsin Land Information Association Annual Conference

February 12, 2003

Guiding PrinciplesGuiding Principles• Must be voluntaryvoluntary and open to all• Must be flexibleflexible• Must use existing GIS existing GIS

educationaleducational bodies• Must be collaborativecollaborative• Must include a code of ethicscode of ethics

No Test!No Test!

• Point-basedPoint-based and self-self-documenteddocumented

• Based on achievement in three achievement in three categoriescategories:– Educational Educational attainment– Professional experienceexperience– ContributionsContributions to the profession

BenchmarkBenchmark• EDUCATIONEDUCATION – Bachelor’s degree with

some GIS courses (or equivalent)• EXPERIENCEEXPERIENCE – Four years in GIS

application or data development (or equivalent)

• CONTRIBUTIONSCONTRIBUTIONS – Annual membership and modest participation in a GIS professional association (or equivalent)

Minimum Total PointsMinimum Total Points

To allow flexibility in the distribution of points, a minimum total points was established at:

150 points150 pointsThis allows one to make up for a lack

in one category with an excess in another (eg., long on GIS experience, short on education)

Minimum Category PointsMinimum Category Points

• Educational Attainment: 30 points

• Professional Experience: 60 points

• Professional Contributions: 8 points

Educational AttainmentEducational AttainmentA formal education does not ensure GIS

qualifications, but does develop:

• Intellectual maturityIntellectual maturity to approach problems systematically and critically, and

• Communication skillsCommunication skills for articulating capabilities, benefits, and limitations of GIS

(Those without a formal education can substitute with courses, conferences, etc.)

Educational AttainmentEducational AttainmentCredential Points:Credential Points:Master’sMaster’s 25 pts25 ptsBachelor’sBachelor’s 20 pts20 ptsAssociate’s Associate’s 10 pts10 ptsGIS CertificateGIS Certificate* 5 pts5 pts *400 or more student activity

hrs

Select the highest Select the highest earnedearned

Course Points:Course Points:

Geospatial technology courses and related courses taken

1 point for every 40 1 point for every 40 student activity student activity hourshours

Educational AttainmentEducational AttainmentStudent Activity Hours:Student Activity Hours:Hours spent in a classroom, seminar, or

conference, plus hours spent completing assignments, reading, studying, or other preparations for the course.

For a college coursecollege course, multiply the number of credits by 3 and multiply the result by the duration of the course in weeks

For a seminar, workshop, short course, or conferenceseminar, workshop, short course, or conference, use the total number of hours in the activity

Professional ExperienceProfessional ExperienceJob experience is the most important

factor in GIS qualifications because:

• Performing in a job provides learning experiences that allow growth and growth and expansion of skill setsexpansion of skill sets

• Work environment with other professionals allows transfer of transfer of knowledgeknowledge

Contributions to the Contributions to the ProfessionProfession

Documents and activities that add to the professional body of knowledge for the benefit of benefit of the professionthe profession as a whole – not just the employer and client.

Contributions to the Contributions to the ProfessionProfession• GIS publicationspublications• Involvement in GIS professional professional

groupsgroups• Participation in GIS conferencesconferences• AwardsAwards for GIS work or contribution• OtherOther contributions

Additional RequirementsAdditional Requirements• Code of EthicsCode of Ethics• RenewalRenewal

– Every five years– Minimum points in each category and

total

                

www.gisci.org

Next StepsNext Steps

• Pilot program (Georgia GIS professionals)• Other organizations• Develop rubric for categories:

– Course descriptions– Job titles

• Code of Ethics (www.gisci.org/code_of_ethics.htm)

• Implementation (Fall ’03 at URISA, Atlanta?)